The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-01-20
REMARKABLE FIND.

SOD Il Green, railroad contractors, has
In his possession several specimens
which will be of much interest to anti
quarians and natuualists, which were
obtained under rather peculiar cir
cumstances.
Mr. Harrison's firm is the contract
or for the construction of the new
branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul railway from Sioux City to
Manila junction, Iowa. The road
follows the level of the Missouri river
for a part of the distance. About
forty mile southeast of Sioux City,
within a distance of four miles from
Mapleton station, and ten miles from
the Missouri river valley, the new
railway line encounters a high hill,
which is the main divide between the
valleys of the Maple and Little Sioux
rivers. This divide is more than ten
miles long, and the ele7ation varies in
width rom half mile to a mile and
a half. The railway line crosses the hill
at its lowest point. To accomplish
this it was necessary to dig cut SIX
| ty-four feet deep, and little over
half mile in length. The earth
which it was necessary to remove IN
digging the cut is, with the exception
Of that on the surface, the yellowish
clay which is characteristic of that
part of Iowa. This clay is very com
pact, and devoid of rock and gravel.
At a depth of from thirty to thirty
| five feet, on the side of the hill slop-
ing toward the Little Sioux valley, the
workmen III digging the cut discover
| ed what Mr.. Harrison believes to be
the marks Of eleven tepee fires. A
! quantity of wood ashes was found In
each Of the eleven places, varying
from half a bushel to bushel and a
half With each deposit of ashes was
also found a quantity of charcoal.
Further along in the cut was found
what appeared to be the remains of
an old structure, the nature and pur-
pose of which could not be determin-
ed. The workmen engaged on the
cut call it 1.-The hmehln." Two walls
of soft limestone, about sixteen feet
apart, rise perpendicularly through
the clay, and were first noticed at a
depth of fifty feet from the surface
These walls are from eighteen inches
to two feet thick, and were removed
by the workmen for perpendicular
distance Of ten feet before the level of
the railroad grade was reached, with
out discovering the base of the pecu-
| Liar formation.
About 500 feet from the ''lime-kiln"
was found another trophy. AT a depth
of fifty five feet from the surface, the
workmen discovered, pointing diagon
| ally across the course of the railroad
track, the trunk of black walnut or
ash tree, about a foot in diameter
Twelve feet Of the protruding timber
was cut off, and the remainder was left
imbedded in the side Of the cut
| When the axes of the workmen cut in
to the tree, the wood was apparently
sound. but when it had been subject
ed to the action of the air, the water
with which it was soaked evaporated
and the wood gave evidence of ex-
IRENE rottenness. Mr.. Harrison Sc
| cured a piece about foot long. which
he brought with him to Milwaukee.
Still another find was made in this
extraordinary railroad cut. The bones
of some large animal, in badly de
| cayed state, were discovered and We're
thrown out on the dump-pile with no
care or thought of saving them. Mr.
Harrison obtained the skull, which, in
appearance, resembled that of a buffa-
lo,though somewhat larger He saved
four or the teeth, and they are now in
the possession of Henry Mann, of this
city, vino as a naturalist has some in
terest III discovering the species of the
animal whose bones We're found I'M
der such peculiar circumstances.
Prof. Peckham will assist Mr.. Mann
in his efforts to classify the animal.
The question of particular interest
III connection with these discoveries
is: What were the circumstances un-
der which the skeleton and tree, which
of course were at one time on top of
the earth, became buried SO far be-
meath its surface? Antiquarians may
also guess what race of human be
ings built the tepee fires, the evidence
of which is thus discovered, and at
what age the limestone walls were
erected The geological formation
Of the earth at the level where the
finds were made is entirely different
from that of the surface, Mr.. Harri-
son says, and there IS good evidence
that it formerly composed the surface
of the earth. The level is about 232
feet above the high water mark of the
Missouri river.